1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer of the thermal transfer type or of the type which uses heat-sensitive paper and, more particularly, relates to a thermal head supporting mechanism for supporting the thermal head of the printer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The thermal head is usually equipped with an elongated printing block comprising a plurality of exothermic elements arranged in a row. If that entire printing block is not forced into uniform contact with printing paper, a print blur may occur, wherein one side of the imprint is dense, while the other side is left thin or blank. Furthermore, the exothermic elements at the excessively pressed portion may become worn.
Therefore, the printing surface of the thermal head and a platen for supporting the printing paper which is contacted by the thermal head must be held parallel to each other at all times during thermal printing. In the prior art, a mechanism for that purpose has the thermal head supported by means of a shaft so that it can be turned in a horizontal plane, thereby permitting the printing surface to be held to the platen at all times. However, this conventional mechanism is so complicated that it raises the production cost for the printer.